CVE-2017-1633 in Sterling B2B Integrator
Summary
by MITRE
IBM Sterling B2B Integrator 5.2 through 5.2.6 could allow an authenticated attacker to obtain sensitive variable name information using specially crafted HTTP requests. IBM X-Force ID: 133180.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/25/2023
IBM Sterling B2B Integrator version 5.2 through 5.2.6 contains a vulnerability that allows authenticated attackers to extract sensitive variable name information through carefully constructed HTTP requests. This flaw represents a information disclosure vulnerability that could potentially expose internal system variables and configuration details to unauthorized users with valid credentials. The vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and output sanitization within the HTTP request processing pipeline of the integration platform.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when the system processes specially crafted HTTP requests that contain malformed or unexpected parameters. When these requests are processed, the application fails to properly sanitize the variable names before returning them in error messages or response data. This creates an information disclosure scenario where attackers can infer system internals, configuration parameters, and potentially sensitive operational details through iterative request manipulation. The vulnerability specifically affects the variable handling mechanism within the B2B integration framework, where internal variable names are exposed in HTTP responses without adequate access control or sanitization measures.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables authenticated attackers to gain intelligence about the underlying system architecture and internal variable naming conventions. While the vulnerability requires authentication, it significantly increases the risk profile of the system as attackers can use this information to craft more sophisticated attacks against the platform. The exposure of variable names could potentially lead to further exploitation opportunities, including privilege escalation or targeted attacks against specific system components. Security teams should note that this vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which covers information disclosure vulnerabilities, and could be leveraged as part of broader attack chains that follow ATT&CK technique T1083 for discovering system information.
Organizations using IBM Sterling B2B Integrator versions 5.2 through 5.2.6 should implement immediate mitigations including applying the vendor-provided security patches and updates. Network segmentation and access control measures should be strengthened to limit authentication access to only necessary personnel. Additionally, monitoring systems should be configured to detect unusual patterns of HTTP requests that might indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and output sanitization in web applications, particularly in enterprise integration platforms where sensitive business data flows through the system. Security teams should also consider implementing web application firewalls and additional logging mechanisms to detect and prevent similar information disclosure scenarios in other components of their integration infrastructure.